The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-07
THE MUSICAL PERFORMANCES.
What Critics Think of Yesterdays Work
the Visiting Artists.

THE MUSICAL PERFORMANCES.
What Critics Think of Yesterdays Work by
the Visiting Artists.
The organ solo which opened the proceedings
of the N 7. N. A. conception yesterday WAS
splendidly played by S. A. Baldwin, of Chicago.
1t was sonata the Psalm xciv, by Julius
Renbke, and is composition seldom heard,
account of it's great difficulties. 1t is a work
that our German friends would call Colossal"
and Mr.. Baldwin played it with great FIRE and
complete mastery of technical difficulties
Reubke is composer of the ultra-modern
school
The piano playing of Mr. Alexander Lambert,
Of New York. gave the greatest pleasure, and
there general regret that the solo
ist had such short programme The
salient characteristics of Mr. Lamberts playing
area superb technique, clear and sllvery touch,
full of color as the occasion requires, and a deli
caey of delivery that is very fascinating. Mr.
Lambert gave as his first selection a new etude
of Joseffy, dictated to the concert gver himself
1t is smooth, flowing composition, and is full
Of difficulties, particularly for the left hand.
The Rapp variations that followed enor-
mously difficult and are test to any pianists
powers, but they were successfully played by
Mr.. Lambert, and in manner that put one at
his He also played ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
tella, which was given with a dash that brought
enthusiastic recall and a finely rendered etude
by the pianist which showed considerable clev-
erness and powers of invention,
JAMES HUNEKER.
Recital OF Mr. Jarvice and Miss Stewart.
The regulation opening of the afternoon session
is piano recital with vocalist On yesterday,
Mr Charles Jarvice, of Philadelphia, gave a re-
citaL assisted by Miss Fife Stewart, formerly of
Cleveland, now soprano of the New York Cathe-
dral. There pianists and piansts. No two
human beings can play the instrument precisely
alike. for every slightest trait of mind and body.
every hour OF diligent or slovenly practice every
noble or ignoble mood cherished or INDUCED by
the musician, tells in the result somewhere.
One of Swedenborg's most beautiful
thoughts that all souls when freed from
this corporal rind, would appear in spiritual
body at once and upon that subtle spiritual body
every wave of slightest emotion, every CLEAN of
faintest thought would be at recorded.
Now, some such dlsembodiment and rencarna-
ton of the mind takes place whenever a must
clan delivers piece of music, for whatever be
the notes the composer has set down. the per-
sonal equation of the performer enters into the
result, whether ne will or not 1t is extremely
interesting to q connolSSour TO near the same
works from different executants and take note of
the slight shades of difference in the reading.
Mr.. Jarvice played series of the most robust
compositions, beginning with a prelude in
minor by Bach and proceeding through Bee
thoven to Thalberg and List. The selection
and delivery alike betokened that sort Of positive
downright self-asserton-or rather, lot US say.
self-declaration-to which give the name
masculine. Mr.. Jarvce played everyone of the
exactinr numbers on his tremendous programme
with that dominating which showed thel
to be we'll beneath the grasp of his technique.
One of the primary requisites Of all music is
indentical with certain corresponding element
in kindred art-that of poetry-and this pre-
dominating element is accentuation. Water en-
tiers into the composition of almost every known
substance, so say the chemists even the solid
rock. and SO there is an accent implied every
where, whether it be distinctly indicated or not.
The emphasis ictus OF every measure, as
every musician knows, should fall upon the first
or down beat, but how many musicians are there
who conscientiousy heed this laws
The French language is the poorest of all cul-
tivated languages for poetry. simply because
its accents are so slight and shifting The
English, on the contrary, despite its being
more stuffed with consonants than a shad with
bones. must be allowed to be one of the very
best languages for poetry. One often queries
why the pipe organ. with its regal plentitude
and variety of resource. remains monotonous.
The answer is in thing-it cannot give any
genuine accent Now this is just
the primal advantage of the piano
forte, whose very name is a synonym
of accent This cardinal principle has been
thoroughly grasped by Mr. Jarvice, and the con-
e+epcu Of his accumulation ia "a copspicuouQ
is the same quality in the Gericke orchestra
The Beethoven sonata was nobly read; the Bach
music rippled and whirled like a crystal brook in
glittering rings round its fixed pebbles of accent;
the Thalberg paraphrase and the two studies of
Liszt, la Paganini were given with magnificent
bravura
Miss Stewart appeared in some of those i'm
passioned dramatic songs of which she has a
complete mastery. Her first especially fitted
to her powers, and came out especially we'll, In
consequence. she received strong encore, to
which she responded with strong but unaffect-
ed love song of the modern intense semi-Swine-
burnan stamp, composition called Silent
Parting" by Frederic Lowell.
Later in the afternoon Miss Groebl sang two
little familiar German songs. the Serenade, OF
Schubert. and the Witmung, of Schumann, with
rich contralto voice and such glorious We
hemence as to establish at once in all minds the
conviction that she is an artistic The accompan-
iments were acceptably played by s. G.. Pratt, of
Chicago, and Smith Penfeld. of New York.
JOHN S. VAN CLEvE.
Last Nights Concert
The festival audience, last evening, was some
larger than that of the opening night, and yet it
wanted a great deal to make it anything like
what had been expected. It was to receive a
pleasing impression, though, to look upon the
fifteen hundred people the main floor and